Youth Business Europe

In 2015, Youth Business International and Citi Foundation launched Youth Business Europe, a regional programme to support young people to start, grow and sustain their business. Through this partnership, we are working together with the Citi Foundation to tackle youth unemployment and drive sustainable economic growth across Europe.

Programme overview

The programme is designed to increase the number of vulnerable youth successfully starting sustainable businesses and creating new jobs. Despite significant investments in this area, there are systemic challenges persisting for these young people such as lack of access to finance, entrepreneurship training and mentoring. Through targeted country-level projects selected and implemented under a strategic learning agenda and rooted in cross-sector collaboration, the programme is laying the foundation for a youth entrepreneurship ecosystem in selected countries across the region.

Our regional approach is enabling 11 YBI member organisations to work closely together and share knowledge, best practice and methodologies with the aim of tackling youth unemployment in Europe, Russia and Kazakhstan.

Between 2015 and 2019 over 26,000 young people have been supported through the programme, of which:

• 6,500+ youth-led businesses started or strengthened
• 3,900+ jobs created
• 2,000+ supported with business mentoring

What we are doing now

Youth unemployment rates across Europe remain high (15.3% within EU 28 as of Eurostat, October 2018) and in some cases double or more than double that of the general population (6.7% within EU 28 as of Eurostat, October 2018).

Addressing the youth employment crisis is imperative, not only for the well-being of young people but also to ensure sustainable, inclusive growth and social cohesion globally.

Between 2019-2020, Youth Business Europe is providing 4,500 young people with entrepreneurship skills training, with a strong focus on supporting more women into entrepreneurship. The partnership is helping 1,000 youth to start and grow a business, generating 1,150 new jobs.

YBI is strongly aligned to Citi Foundation’s inclusive commitment to women’s economic empowerment, with the 2019-20 programme having a special focus on women. The programme supports young women into entrepreneurship by making gender a cross-cutting issue and is working to promote women entrepreneurs as role models to inspire more women to start businesses.

The partnership is one of the Citi Foundation’s flagship EMEA programmes, and is part of its Pathways to Progress initiative, which works to prepare and equip urban youth with the tools to thrive in today’s economy.